June 25, 2016
Our plans got whittled down considerably after talking to Laura and Jay at Janice and Brad's Anniversary picnic. After looking at possible lodging, Jay found hardly any vacancies, especially around Yellowstone NP, mostly because of its popularity and the 100 anniversary of the National Parks. I originally had planned going to Yellowstone, then Rocky Mountain NP. I think we have a much better plan now.
I expected Peter to come over after his B&S luncheon and before Over the Hump at Alioto's. He called about 3:00 p.m. that he was just leaving the lunch and there wouldn't be enough time to discuss anything of any substance. I almost expected him to come home with me after Over the Hump, but he planned on going to the Schwabenhof. I think that was a better plan, because I could concentrate on getting things done on my own.
I really worked after getting home from Over the Hump: trying to get free nights, reading many reviews, changing my mind after reading some. At the end of the day I managed to get all the reservations in except for the Husker Inn in North Platte, NE; every time I dialed the number a message came: "If you know the party's extension, you can dial it now, or dial 10 for the manager". I tried that a few times and every time got the message that that line was busy. The next day I tried again, many times, with the same results. Finally I dialed like I was going to dial a room: 108. A lady answered! I was able to make my reservation and told her the trouble I was having. She was unaware of it. We had a nice chat, and when I told her how persistent I was she said she'd make us special muffins.
Monday, August 15, 2016
We left Peter's house shortly after 9 00 a.m. My GPS did not cooperate getting us in the right direction and we must have lost almost an hour getting our bearings. Once this GPS started working correctly we made good time.
Rest stops were almost non-existent, so our stop in Grant County WI was well timed. Peter had sandwiches potato salad, and cole slaw from his birthday, which was very satisfying.
We thought we were on the wrong road when the GPS took us on an unpaved road to the Sac City Motel, but it was most direct route. The motel was no frills, and seemed to be the only one in that vicinity. I Googled for a county park and after a few mistakes we found Hagge County Park, a beautiful setting, all by ourselves, except for a wedding that was taking place nearby. We had a repeat of the lunch menu plus Amish Limburger cheese and beer and wine. Peter watched the Olympics; I fell asleep.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016 It rained during the night. We were on our way at 8:00 a.m., with no problems getting our bearings. We hit some rain, sometimes quite heavy.
Rest stops are far apart and the alerts were too short, especially going 80 miles an hour. When we approached one, it was closed and difficult to back out of, since even the frontage road was closed. We found the next one with picnic tables big enough for 8, some were enclosed in brick shelters, Making them very private.
We had very good driving to North Platte, NE. I was a little apprehensive approaching Husker Inn, going through a less desirable part of the city. But it was situated in a very nice area, and we were pleasantly surprised, even before checking in. There were plantings all around the area. The lady checking us in was so very sweet. She offered each of us a smoothie because we needed the energy. She added some chicken tenders, a huge muffin and some cookies. Our room was spotless and had everything we needed.
We found Cody Park and finished the sandwiches and all of the potato salad and coleslaw that we cared to eat. We had a lady attendant take our picture by the locomotive display just as she was closing. We drove through the park and had we driven a little farther we would have had a more scenic picnic spot next to a pond. We bought a couple peaches to go with yogurt for breakfast. We watched the Olympics for the rest of the evening.
Wednesday August 17 2016
There was a table on the patio of the motel, so I cut up the peaches into the yogurt, plus the chicken tenders and cookies would have been enough for breakfast. When Peter went to get coffee in the motel office, the lady said she was making eggs for us. Peter said one each would be plenty, but she insisted we should have some eggs. As we were having our breakfast on the table outside, she came out with two little bowls of eggs and sausage for each of us. Our check-out included hugs and warm wishes as we went on our way.
I drove a couple hours before coming to a rest stop, and it was ideal. A warm welcome with coffee, cookies and information about Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park.
We got to The Holliday Inn Express at about 1:00 p.m. Peter was hungry so we packed some food and ate on the lawn of a senior center next to a city park that didn't have any picnic tables. We drove straight to Rocky Mountain National Park and followed the trail loop, stopping at sightseeing vistas. We got up to the Alpine Visitors Center, hoping to get information about the distance to the end of the park, because we were running low on gas, but it was 5:00 p.m. and they were just hanging the Closed sign on the door. We got to the end of the park, filled up with gas, and a man at the station said the only way back to Longmont would be to backtrack the way we came in, or keep going through Denver. We opted to go back, and I did the driving. The roads have hairpin turns at 15-20 miles per hour, and it was getting dark. We made it back to Longmont and headed for Outback. I had ribs, Peter had a pork chop. The day didn't go as well as I had hoped, especially running low on gas and covering the same roads. I was hoping to spend another day at RMNP, but Peter didn't seem too keen on going back through Estes, and going into the park.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
I had a brilliant idea. Colorado Springs was about 2 hours away, so was the cog rail up Pikes Peak. Peter favored the idea, so I made reservations for 2:40 p.m. We were on our way by 10:00 a.m. and arrived at Manitou Springs about noon. We saw a perfect picnic table, but instead of sitting and holding it, I walked with Peter to find a restroom. When we got back a family was occupying the picnic table. Since we had plenty of time before we had to be on the train we waited until the family was finished. As the were cleaning up I started talking to them and learned they were formerly from the Grafton/Cedarburg area. We enjoyed our lunch then drove to where we would get the train. People were not back from the previous trip, so we had to wait for spaces to open up. We drove around a while, then headed back. The weather didn't look too promising. We sat across from a couple from Denver. The climb was awesome, with huge boulders scattered along the route. What magnificent formations. As we reached the summit snow started, and was falling hard when we reached the top. Jackets were required for the sudden drop in temperature. There was a souvenir station at the top and 400 people invaded it. I bought water, Peter used the restroom, and we didn't linger around too long before getting back on the train for the 4:40 departure.
We drove to Colorado Springs to have dinner at the Edelweiss Restaurant. The food was delicious, but we had to take boxes, because we are eating way too much. Peter drove back to Longmont, arriving at 10:0 p.m.
Friday, August 19, 2016
We were on the road at about 9:00 a.m. I started driving towards Montrose, and the (Rodeway Inn. The views were spectacular the entire route, with rugged crags and changing colors in the mountains. We stopped for lunch (leftover schnitzel) at Vale Trail, which was windy and quite cool.
We stopped at another rest stop on the Grizzly Creek where we saw rubber rafters against a backdrop of towering cliffs. We arrived at the Rodeside Inn at 5:30, and were satisfied with what we saw. The receptionist was very cordial and offered to help in any way that she could. Peter had an appetite for Chinese so we selected The Panda Inn and had some delicious food: sizzling beef with vegetables for Peter, cashew shrimp for me. We took out enough for another meal. We sat by the pool until dark.
Saturday, August 20, 2016
We headed to Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park and stopped at the Visitors Center where we watched a video on the history of the park and how the roads were constructed with mostly picks and shovels. It would make our appreciation of the park greater. We waited for a ranger led talk, but he/she never showed up. A picnic table at an overlook was an ideal spot for our lunch. It was a very sunny day. We enjoyed our usual fare before driving to the various overlooks.
Each view was different and some required some steep approaches. But every view was worth the effort. Here is the Gunnison River below that carved out the canyon. 
We drove the entire South Rim Road and back to the entrance, and then attempted the East Portal Road. There were warning signs of hairpin turns and a steep grade, with recommendations to drive in low gear. We couldn't tell any difference when Peter used the Manual gear. The road would have taken us to the river. Fortunately, there was a place to turn around, and we did.
We had fajitas at a Mexican restaurant. We started with medium margaritas, which were huge. I don't know how anyone could consume a large one. We ordered beef with six tortillas, which would be enough at SuCasa to fill generously. We had to realy stretch the filling, because it was less than SuCasa's, but it was very good.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Our destination today was the Colorado National Monument. The day was very sunny and I the 90s. We had no trouble finding a picnic table in a shelter. We spread out and immediately got comments about our service. Every time we put out the table cloth we get comments; how much trouble is that? We took the road around the overlooks and every view was jaw-dropping. It took most of the afternoon and finished watching a couple videos. The ranger in the Visitors Center was beautiful and very sweet. When we got back to Rodeway we warmed up our leftover Chinese and ate by the pool. We didn't make use of the pool, nor did anyone else; it was not heated, maybe that's the reason.
Monday August 22, 2016
After having breakfast we drove to the Museum of the Mountain West. Mike guided Peter and me through many collections and Peter got to sit in a dentist's hair for an extraction. Mike was very personal and gave a wonderful tour. Two other couples joined us for the rest of the tour. The tour cost $10 each and was a real bargain. We found Montrose city park and a table near the road. I got a phone call while we were eating from Rodeway. We were supposed to be out today! I lost track of the days. We packed up and got to the Rodeway as fast as possible and got our things together. The interaction was not pleasant. As we were about to leave, Peter reminded me that we didn't clean out the frig. "Are you losing it?" We managed to get on our way to Cortez. It rained off and on a good part of the way, but nothing too hard. There was a a stall for a while where we came to a complete stop. We got to Night's Inn about 5:00 p.m. and were pleased with the room. I double checked my calendar and map and I had two different motels for tonight. I called Travelers Lodge to see if I had a reservation there. I did! I must be losing it! Fortunately, I was able to cancel, and didn't have to pay for two motel rooms for one night. We went to a brewery restaurant for pizza, very good.
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Our destination today was Monte Verde National Park on a beautiful day. We are so lucky with the weather allowing us to make such good use of our time. Driving continues to be stressful. I was going through a tunnel with my sunglasses on and couldn't see. A car behind me blew its horn when I stopped. I knew what I did was wrong, The verbal tirade that I got was terrible. I had to scream "Shut up!" for Peter to stop. We drove in silence until we were able to switch drivers. We arrived at the Visitors Center which was mostly for buying tickets for ranger-led tours. We were going to take a self-guided tour, because the ranger-led tours were quite strenuous. We stopped at many overlooks with archeological restorations of various Pueblo structures. 
Peter has a unique quality of getting over our riffs quickly. By lunch time all was forgotten . We found a nice picnic table off the parking area and enjoyed our usual fare.
The skies looked threatening. Fortunately we covered most of what we came to see. We headed to the Fairfield Inn in Alimosa, driving in steady rain most of the way on very curvy roads. The mileage doesn't seem long but when you factor in the terrain it adds to the driving time. We got to our hotel at about 6:00 p.m. We are going international in our dining: Chinese, Mexican, Italian, so tonight it was Greek at the Acropolis Greek Restaurant. We both had the special gyros with a salad, which was adequate. Our plan for tomorrow was to go to Sand Dunes National Park which was in the area, but we had to drive over 600 miles to Junction City, Kansas, an 8 - hour drive. A park tour and that drive wouldn't be practical, so we decided to forego that plan. We digested our food for a while before going into the pool, until 10:45. The evening ended pleasantly.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
We were up at 6:30, had a substantial breakfast in the hotel and were on our way by 9:00 a.m. I started driving in light rain through the rest of the mountains and some curvy roads. Once we were out of the mountains it was miles and miles of state roads with hardly another vehicle in sight in either direction and no opportunity to change drivers. We finally got to a service station to take a rest and switch drivers. We drove for miles looking for a town to buy groceries and have something different for lunch. ..nothing in sight. Now we were getting hungry and would be satisfied with what we had. We spied a historic point of interest sight with picnic tables. It was so windy we didn't bother putting on a table cloth. Our bread was dry and we used the rest of the cheddar, but we had no idea where the next opportunity to eat would be. We drove less than than three miles and came upon the nicest city park, right at the side of the road with tables, a rest area and Peter said there was even a shower. I didn't see one in mine, but there probably was. We both had a good laugh with that one.
We got to the Holiday Inn Express in Junction City, Kansas at about 7:00 p.m. Lots of fast foods within walking distance. We looked at a barbecue place but chose Freddy's Steak burger. Our order came with French fries, which we didn't order. Peter talked to the manager and got a full refund of our meal. We did not eat the fries.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Driving was easy with long stretches of bland scenery, and no rest areas for miles. We finally found a very nice one, but were besieged by flies. We got to the Holiday Inn in St Louis and had a great reception. We got free parking and breakfasts. We are downtown and thought a Mediterranean restaurant would work; it didn't. Medina had a walk-up counter that didn't appeal to us. Across the street was Flannery's, which was Irish. Peter had Irish stew, I had a Rueben.
Friday, August 26, 2016
There wasn't a breakfast buffet, so we ordered off the menu. Sue catered to us very attentively. Rod told us yesterday that the Arch was walkable. We walked! The walk was level, but the temperature was rising. I printed tickets before we left and didn't have too much time to spare for our 10:30 reservations. We were by ourselves in a little car and rode to the top. Once there we took pictures of various landmarks. We saw an outstanding video on the construction of the Arch; it was a masterpiece of engineering. We dropped in at the Old Cathedral and mass was in progress, we didn't stay very long. We went to the Old Courthouse which was a museum of St. Louis' past. We could have stayed there longer, but we wanted to get to the Budweiser tour. I was able to get 3 00 p.m. tickets while Peter repositioned the car. Our guide recited her information that was difficult to understand. I was on a number of brewery tours, and they are mostly the same, except Lakefront. We had a small taste of beer while our guide explained the brewing process and finished the tour in the Biergarden where we had a nice glass of Michelob Amberbock and brats on a pretzel roll with fries. On the way back to our hotel we bought a night light to replace the one that I left at the last hotel and a couple of flashlights. When we got to the parking lot I couldn't find the key and had to get a replacement. That didn't sit well. We had nothing further planned so we watched TV I knitted.
Thursday, August 25,, 2016
Holiday Inn provided a substantial breakfast and we took our time, because we were not in any hurry. I drove a very long time before coming to a very nice rest stop; however we were plagued with flies. The day is warming up degrees as Peter took over the driving.
Saturday, August 27, 2016
We ordered our breakfast off the menu, I had an omelet with cheese a slab of ham and mushroomss with a lot of coffee. We were packed and ready to go. We stopped at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to view the mosaics that are supposed to be more numerous than anywhere in the world. We were lucky we didn't come any later, because a wedding was going to take place shortly. We stopped at a wayside to switch drivers and it is very warm, 86 degrees at noon.
